I'HE PABKWAYS 



189 



The Stanley letter^ so-called, was received by the com- 

 mission December 24, 1896. It was a long official letter 

 from Edward 0. Stanley, then chairman of the Committee 

 on Parks of the East Orange Township Committee. The 

 letter asked many questions, bnt bore the imprint of sin- 

 ceTitj and desire on the part of the writer, to have brushed 

 aside the cobwebs of misapprehension which then existed 

 in the minds of the committee and throughout East Orange 

 as the outgrowth of the seeds of prejudice poison that had 

 been scattered by the traction company's representatives 

 there against the parkways and the Park Commission, since 

 the latter had openly favored the avenues for another pur- 

 pose than their surrender for private uses. 



The committee wished to know how the commission pro- 

 posed to improve the avenues ; whether, should the transfer 

 be made, a trolley line should be run there; whether open- 

 ings could be made by the township authorities for repair- 

 ing gas mains, water pipes, etc., and made the request 

 for a section plan of the avenues as they would appear 

 when beautified and completed by the commission. 



In the Park Board these questions precipitated the sub- 

 ject for a reply. It was evident that the platitudinous gen- 

 eralities in the previous communications from the commis- 

 sion were not sufficient to enable the parkway advocates to 

 overcome the counter claims and assertions of the opposing 

 corporation agents and representatives. 



LAISTDSCAPE AECHITECTS^ AXD EXGIXEERS^ REPOET. 



On December 31, 1896, the landscape architects and engi- 

 neers of the department made a report strongly reiterating 

 their former ^^recommendations for extending Central ave- 

 nue to connect with the larger mountain reservation,'^ add- 

 ing, "we have indicated upon the map an extension of this 

 avenue from its present terminus at the Valley road to a 

 point in Xorthfield avenue, and thence through N'orthfield 

 avenue to the South Mountain Eeservation. This exten- 

 sion makes use of a depression in the mountain slope which 

 will enable a parkway to be constructed upon an easy grade 



